DIARY directory recently caught up with Paige Calvert from fashion, lifestyle and crafts blog Paige Joanna. Paige’s blog focuses on her passion for all things sentimental, beautiful and creative, covering the main themes of personal style, lifestyle, crafts, DIY’s, London life and travel. By day she is a Social Media Executive and enjoys going for brunch, drinking tea and making things. Paige has worked with a number of brands, including: New Look, ASOS, boohoo, Missguided, House of Fraser, River Island, F&F and Dorothy Perkins, among others. 
 

UK fashion, lifestyle & crafts blogger

Worked with New Look, Dorothy Perkins, ASOS, boohoo

"Success is a mixture of numbers, quality, style, time & luck"
 

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Paige shares her top social media tips; her pet peeves in regards to PR’s; and her favourite sponsored collaborations to date.

Who are your core readers/viewers?

My readers are predominantly women, aged between 18 and 30.

You’re a social media executive by day - has your expertise in this field helped your blog?

It definitely has helped! As I grow knowledge at work from my colleagues and I can use these skills in my own personal work. It helps to be in the industry as well to network with other people in the field.

 
There are so many bloggers on your level who have day jobs but want to progress into full time blogging, do you have a strategy in place to help aid this goal?

I have an end goal in mind but because I am still working full time I can't really give a strategy that works just yet. I just want to continue working hard and pushing the boundaries of my content.

Do you find some social platforms grow better than others? 

I find Instagram easier to grow because it's very visually appealing and what I enjoy the most is curating my feed. I find the more fast paced the content the more people want to be on there to engage with it. Getting 're-grammed' is great for gaining more followers so a good tip is to always tag the brands you are wearing, or tag appropriate accounts.

What are your top tips for mastering social media as a blogger?

You have to be consistent! You can't take a week out and then expect your followers to pick it back up as soon as you post again. Consistency and quality are the two main factors and making sure your personality shines through. I have found a pattern of strong engagement and likes surrounding my more personal posts. We all appreciate an aesthetically pleasing image but it's not always about how pristine and perfect the filters make you look. Mix personality and great visuals, add funny captions or express your love for something. It's a lot more interesting to back up visuals with emotional impact.

"I also think a lot of brands and PR's need to appreciate a lot of bloggers still work full time AND blog, which in itself is work. It takes a lot of time and commitment, which should require payment...."

What have been some of your favourite sponsored collaborations to date?

A couple of years ago I did a campaign with Cath Kidston, and I still always remember it for how fun it was to put together! I also loved being filmed for Asos at their head office, talking about new season co-ords. I've managed to get some amazing opportunities through blogging and it's so hard to pin point my favourite moments.

Do you have a rate card? Can you tell us an example of a cost?

I personally don't have a rate card or media pack involving costs. The reason I don't is because at this stage I prefer to make my services bespoke to each client and brand. I do have a minimum charge for certain things and always make sure to get contracts written out now to save any time wasting. For example a photo shoot for a brand, including copy right modelling images, 3-5 social posts and a blog post or video would be roughly £1,500.

What catches your eye in a press release/brand collaboration e-mail?

When a brand approaches me, a personal written email is so important. If they write a couple of sentences on what their favourite blog posts or Instagrams I have done and why, it shows they are actually interested in me, for being me! I can't stand copied and pasted copy that you know has gone out to their entire list. Just be friendly, you're more likely to get a lot more out of me in terms of commitment and passion for a project if you approach me like a friend. I personally never work with brands that send out a standard press release because I get too many other requests and have to prioritise ones that are created with me in mind.
 

How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers? Any pet peeves?

When a brand gets my name wrong and calls me Joanna, it's such a small error but one that instantly annoys me. It happens more than you might think and if they had just clicked on my 'about me' they would know my full name.

I also think a lot of brands and PR's need to appreciate a lot of bloggers still work full time AND blog, which in itself is work. It takes a lot of time and commitment, which should require payment. Blogging is advertising to the source of consumers that will trust my judgment and aspire to what I wear and do. All posts take time to plan, to shoot, edit, post, refining SEO and then posting on social media. Even a small contribution to the time spent on work would make such a huge difference to people like me trying to get somewhere with it. None of us would work in an office or a shop for free, so more understanding and appreciation for our work and time would be fantastic. Of course not all brands have budgets to pay, but offering 're-grams', social shares or gifts can also be rewarding. .

Blogging/YouTube can - to an extent - be seen as a numbers game, however we believe that numbers don't always measure up to engagement. What does success mean to you and how do you measure it?

Success is a mixture of numbers, quality, style, time and luck. I believe if you get the balance right then success will come. Being the best version of yourself and refining your niche is a great way to specialise in an area to gain more trust from your readers. You can have less followers but more quality engagement, which is worth more than numbers alone.
 

What other bloggers / influencers do you follow and why?

I follow other creative people that inspire me to be myself. People like Sophie Hannah Richardson, Arabella Golby, Wonderful_u, littlepineneedle, Zoe London and Pipjolley. There are so many other people I love following, but mainly bright, colourful and fun content that makes me happy is what I am drawn to.

Contact

Paige Joanna in 'digital influencers'